The Department of Architecture and Design has a record of excellence in teaching and research since it was established in 1966. It has two undergraduate programs, one in Architecture and one in Graphic Design, and two graduate programs in Urban Planning and Policy and in Urban Design. At the Department, the design discipline is understood as a cultural practice that engages social, economic and political issues and as a critical tool of inquiry that integrates process with product and methodology with representation in a multidisciplinary manner. Inquiry through design comes with an acute awareness of our existence in the region with its multitude of languages and cultures and our location within Beirut with its exceptional physical fabric and cultural formats. The Department is currently working to strengthen the integration between the various degree programs and to establish a graduate program in History, Theory and Criticism (HTC) within a Center for Advanced Study of the Built Environment (CASBE).